Based on a story by Anton Chekov, this standard Russian drama is set at the turn of the 20th century and relates the story of Anna (A. Larienova), a woman born into poverty but with a determination to leave it behind. The young Anna decides to marry for gain and not for love when she hooks up with a much older, upwardly mobile civil servant. Her motivation is at first to bring herself and her family up by the bootstraps. But once she is introduced to the upper social circles, her success in that arena is startling and solid. As a result, Anna begins to consider her own advancement, even at the cost of her marriage and her family. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide